Battle of New Orleans reenactments are annual events, but there’s never been a reenactment of another important early 19th-century historical moment in south Louisiana: an uprising against slavery that began near LaPlace in 1811.

Staged by as many as 500 enslaved people, the insurrection is remembered as the largest such attempted revolution in U.S. history. The incident, in which most historians believe two slave owners were killed, is known as the German Coast Uprising, after the Germans who settled the area in the 1700s.

On Nov. 8, 500 costumed reenactors, carrying machetes, sickles, sabers and muskets, will begin a two-day, 26-mile march along River Road heading toward Kenner, the approximate route of the revolutionaries who enlisted followers and burned plantations in their path two centuries ago. As they march, the reenactors will shout “Freedom or Death” and “On to New Orleans.”

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Traditionally America has not turned to the experience of enslaved people for inspiration, but it should, Scott said in a recent telephone conversation.

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The uprising on the German Coast was even more than a bid for personal freedom. Historians say the revolutionaries wanted to seize Louisiana and set up a new republic without slavery. The real story of the revolt, Scott said, “is radical people with radical ideas of freedom.” It’s not broadly appreciated as such because history was written by “slave empires,” not the enslaved, he said.

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Though the 1811 revolt ended in the brutal massacre and horrid execution of scores of the revolutionaries, the reenactment won’t dwell on the sad denouement. Instead the marchers will relocate from Kenner to New Orleans for a celebratory parade from the Old U.S. Mint to Congo Square where musical performances from African-style drumming to jazz to bounce will take place.

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The German Coast Uprising took place in January, but the reenactors have chosen to stage the rain-or-shine march in early November to ensure more hospitable weather and to avoid conflicts with holidays. To maximize attendance, the reenactment was scheduled to conclude on Nov. 9, a day before the Saints/Falcons football game.